20 January, 2011

The first shipment of our new Raid rims just landed. These are my absolute perfect rims and what I will use when I get new wheels. I know that not everyone has the same needs and tastes, but here is why I like them:

At 22mm wide they are the perfect size for 28-38mm tires (though you could go a little bigger). I think 28-32mm is the ideal size for 700c road bikes. For me those sizes combine the light and lively feel I like with a good dose of comfort.

They look great; the shape is simple and classic. And the high polish finish is stunning.

They are box section rims with double eyelets and that makes them very strong. I won't hesitate to ride them on unpaved roads or on a loaded tour.

The brake surface is a little taller than on classic rims. This makes brake setup easier.

Based on our other rims from the same factory, they should consistently be very round and easy to build up.

They are a bit dear at $78, but that's because we paid a lot for the tooling for the rim extrusion and for the tooling for the double eyelets.The polishing is also not cheap. So I think the price is more than fair.

34 comments:

Retail Genius
said...

I think the price is expensive. Let's see how many you sell before you lower the price. You can't make it all back on the first hundred customers, so why not just shave a bout 20% off right now as an introductory offer

Retail Genius- what silver double eyelet rims are left on the market? Grand Bois rims are $100 and single eyelet. I see a few double eyelet DT rims online. They cost anywhere from $75 to $92 from New Zealand, the UK, or Australia. Good luck on finding a cheap shipping option to the states.

'Esspensive' or not mang, they look sweet. $78 seems just right, and it's a classic silver polished box section shape, not a disc only, super wide 29'er or downhill rim.

I know that tooling costs are high, but please consider an offset version. The typical Shimano hub based wheel has the non-drive spoke tension at 54% of the drive side. Adding a 4.0 mm offset changes the percentage to 72%. This make the wheel much more robust at little or no weight penalty.

Not trying to hijack this thread, but would love to see VO source some replacement screws for Simplex retrofriction shifters. Those big flat blade screwdriver slots are always chewed up on otherwise perfectly nice shifters. If not VO, is there another source? New racks and rims look nice! Thanks.

Chris, your frankness and honest approach are quite refreshing; I can't imagine many other sellers describing one of their products as "a little dear"(even when they are more than a little dear!). IMO, the Raid rims are a decent value in today's market and a worthwhile addition to the marketplace. Kudos! Richard Malesweski/Ozark Bicycle Service

Compared to what's out there and the quality, the price seems fair. I second the suggestion for an offset rim. I've always liked the concept, but never liked the look of the ones that are out there. An offset RAID would be great.

Our published weight is a few grams more than the Grand Bois and other rims on the market, most of which are designed for different purposes. This is due most visibly to double eyelets, a slight increase in outside width, and possibly the specification of the rim walls.

There's a bit more meat in the sidewalls and inner wall in the Raid. Lighter rims often reduce the wall thickness of these areas, which makes brake surface life much shorter. A thinner brake track is fine for disc equipped bikes and fixies, but not for bikes that require a braking surface at the rim. A slightly thicker spoke bed surface also makes building wheels a lot easier too. The rim doesn't move to every little tweak of spoke tension during the build. Less tension rounds and less truing make for a less complicated build and a stronger wheel overall.

For a loaded tour an additional 10-20 double eyeleted grams at the wheel is good insurance. The fact that a loaded touring bike probably has 40-60lbs strapped on it sort of negates the weight savings of what amounts to a handful of paperclips.

I will wait til the inevitable drop in price. Good luck to all those who become the first to own these new and 'improved' wheels. I am never one to rush out and buy something at full cost just for the sake of doing so.

Finally a replacement for the Mavic MA2. It looks terrific. An offset spoke bed on a rim with double eyelets might be difficult. However if it is possible, I would be happy to buy several, and never have to buy another rim.

If you want a cheap rim, get a Sunrims CR18, guys. Those are cheap and good. This rim is nicer than that. It's probably nicer than the Velocity rims which run about $70 that last time I (unfortunately) bought a pair.

@ "Anonymous":Given the width, which determines tire compatability, and the weight, the Raid seems to me to be a rim intended for use in "touring" applications, much like a Super Champion Model 58. A Mavic MA/MA-2 was both lighter and narrower; a rim best used in a 'sport touring' application with somewhat narrower tires. I think it best to group rims by intended use rather than by construction details. In any case, the Raid seems an attractive product and an "upmarket" alternative to a Sun CR-18. (I would not consider it as an alternative to a Mavic Open Pro, which is the lineal descendant of the Mavic MA/MA-2).

@ Ozark Bicycle Service - "I think it best to group rims by intended use rather than by construction details."

Sure, the Raid looks like it is geared for wider tires & touring like a Super Champion 58. Still, the construction is much more like an MA-2 and very different than a Super Champion 58. BTW, I love the Ozarks!

@Anonymous: Perhaps I should have drawn my original comparison by saying the Raid seems closer to a Mavic Module 3 than to a Mavic MA/MA-2, but I thought more people would be familiar with the Super Champion 58 rather than the relatively obscure Module 3. Also, AFAIK, the Module 3 was only available in a gray, hard anodized finish, which opens another can of worms. BTW, have you ever cycled in the Ozarks?

Have to add also, I've got a set of the VO PBP Polished rims and I can't recommend those highly enough. Perfect if you want a vintage look and aren't keen on buying vintage rims. Their the one part I prefer to avoid buying 'period'!

The competition for these rims by my estimation are the mavic a719, the open pro and the dt swiss rr 1.1. Alex makes the r 390. The alex is double eyeletted but l-eh-ow quality. The open pro and rr 1.1 are great, but skinny and expensive. Like 20-30 clams more expensive. The A719 is heavy, and expensive and looks like the raid's dirty cousin. I can't wait to lace these up and give my MA 40's a well deserved rest. Thanks for the polish!

I don't have much experience with some of the other rims mentioned, but I did just build up a wheelset for my commuter bike with the RAID rims, and they are fantastic! The build was super-easy, the rims look fantastic laced to a dynohub and IGH, and they hold my 36mm Schwalbe's perfectly! Another plus for VO's approach! I hope they keep finding things to make me spend money on I didn't know I needed!